Board, staff, dignitaries break ground for new hospital

The new 63,000-square-foot facility, which is expected to be completed in the spring of 2015, will have 22 beds and be a 'patient-centered, state-of-the-art hospital that will provide quality care to all people'

In September 1953, Ionia’s old hospital was dedicated. Tony Balice was mayor then.

On Monday afternoon, 60 years later, Mayor Dan Balice, Tony’s son, spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony for a new Sparrow Ionia Hospital. About 150 Sparrow board members, staff, dignitaries and supporters gathered under sunny skies near the 44-acre site of the new facility, which will be located on M-66 north of David Highway, to mark the occasion.

“I feel like I can for the first time stand in my dad’s shoes,” said Balice, who is chair of the Sparrow Ionia Hospital board. “He was more excited about providing affordable, quality health care than almost anything else.”

Balice recalled talking with Sparrow Hospital leaders about the possibility of a new hospital in Ionia County.

“They said if they saw the community as a good fit with their mission, vision and values, they would build a new hospital, and they did,” he said. “I couldn’t be more grateful and happy with what they have done for us.”

The new hospital will benefit Orange Township, where it is located, and all of Ionia County, said Tom Green, township supervisor.

The new 63,000-square-foot facility, which is expected to be completed in the spring of 2015, will have 22 beds and be a “patient-centered, state-of-the-art hospital that will provide quality care to all people,” said Mark Brett, senior vice president of affiliate operations for Sparrow Health System, at the ceremony.

In an economic climate where many hospitals are consolidating, it is “highly unusual” for a new hospital to be built, said Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, who also spoke at the groundbreaking. The cost of the project is estimated at $25 million.

“This is a really big deal,” Calley said. “Health care is one of the baseline community needs. This will continue to put Ionia ahead.”

“There are a few key things that make a community: committed businesses, schools, a daily paper and a hospital,” she said. “For Sparrow to make the commitment to us, and us to Sparrow, ensures a healthy community for decades to come.”

Bill Roeser, president and CEO of Sparrow Ionia Hospital, noted he has been working toward this day for six years – and others, for even longer.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he said, getting emotional. “For the people of Ionia County, this is amazing.”